The second trimester is my favorite time (for the most part). I'm over the being/feeling sick phase and I'm not all that big yet. I'm able to eat food again and there isn't much of a dramatic weight gain during this time so I can still do pretty much everything. Like my first pregnancy, this second pregnancy had a very positive second trimester.

The only real complaints I have during this time are due to the following:

1. I like to call this period my "awkward looking weeks (weeks 12-25 to be exact)". I remember I hated wearing clothes during this phase with Erin and I feel the same with this pregnancy. During the second trimester, I'm bigger so I don't quite fit into my regular clothes anymore, but I'm also not quite big enough to fit nicely into maternity clothes. Maternity clothes run so big, so it's been such a challenge finding reasonably priced pieces that actually fit. A lot of women turn to dresses and skirts during their pregnancy, but I'm not really a dress kind of girl to begin with, so that was another struggle in itself. I also need to wear professional work attire during the week, so that has also been a challenge trying to find work clothes that look nice and fit well. 
2. Charley Horse: These things are so painful! I rarely get them when I'm not pregnant (can't remember the last time I got one before being pregnant), but I get them maybe a handful of times while pregnant and it'll usually start around my second trimester. Not kool. It'll happen in the middle of the night and sometimes they're so painful, I'm sore for a few days. I definitely do not enjoy it in any way.

I'm 26 weeks along now and I'll be entering the 3rd trimester soon. My belly is definitely growing and I'm slowly filling up my maternity clothes. yay! Little Ava is moving around all the time, kicking and having hiccups. I told myself I'd take a belly photo every week, but of course I haven't been doing that. I'm so bad at documenting my growing bell. Oh well, maybe for the next one!

A few photos of life lately:

(She has officially transitioned to her toddler bed. No regressions for over 5 weeks. Big girl. Oh and sleeping through the night!)

Family Photos 2015

We took family photos this past weekend. We thought it was challenging last year, but Erin is a lot less patient and isn't the best listener, so it made photo taking this year a bit difficult.

Some details from the shoot:

Photographer: We had the lovely Candice Benjamin take our photos (she's almost as tall as Ken, so it really makes a difference with angles!). 

Location: Trabuco Canyon, CA  - Thomas F. Riley Wilderness Park

Erin's dress and shoes: Zara

My dress: Free people

Ken's shirt (If anyone cares): Hugo

Color palate this year:

 

A little tip for taking somewhat more successful photos with an active toddler: bring treats. We brought some m&ms for Erin. She has never had them before, so she was definitely excited about getting the opportunity to eat them. We used these as an incentive and hoped that she'd stay still or smile on cue. To be honest, the m&ms didn't work 100%. Erin was still running away, showing her underwear, not smiling, and etc. But if we didn't have any treat to give her at all, we probably wouldn't have had any decent photos of her. There were a few of Erin smiling with chocolate teeth, but at least she was smiling! Here a few photos of the chaos (Though Erin wasn't listening, I liked these candid shots. It really captures the true essence of toddler-hood and parenting):

Baby Registry the 2nd Time Around

My baby registry this time around only consists of two items. It helps that we're having another girl because we basically have everything else already. We're definitely saving some money, at least for the time being.

1. Double stroller
These dang double strollers are expensive! I wish I could just get my stroller right now and tape it to another one. I've done some research on double strollers and I think I'm leaning towards the Britax B-Agile or the Baby Jogger City Mini (we have the baby jogger city mini single stroller right now and I love it). These strollers are pretty similar. They've got a similar look/style, are on the lighter side, easy to maneuver and fold, and are quite spacious (After doing research on double strollers, I realized I'm not a big fan of the tandem strollers).

2. Manual Breast Pump
This was something I realized I needed when I had Erin, but never got around to buying. I'm definitely getting this one this time around. I left my double breast pump at work because I pumped the most there. I rarely took it home because it was such a pain taking it back and forth. I had some desperate moments of needing to pump and not having a pump.

**Diapers and wipes are not on my list because it's pretty obvious they are a must! Will always be needing diapers and wipes, so can't have too much of them! Hopefully Erin will be potty trained by the time the baby is here so we won't have to buy double the diapers/wipes.

I'll have to wait till the baby arrives to see if there are still some things I forgot about and actually need. Less than 4 months to go! Can't wait to meet baby Ava. =)

I leave you with this..Erin's becoming such a character.

Currently

Some random thoughts about life lately:

• This pregnancy is flying by! I'm already 23 weeks. 
• Can't believe it's almost October (the holidays are almost here...eeeeppp!). 
• Erin talks ALL the time now (it's cute right now, but we'll if I feel the same in a few months).
• We've finally picked out a name for baby #2 (Starts with an A) (and no...it's not Aaron or Arin).
• Our Disneyland pass expires next month and we aren't renewing (saddest thing ever). 
• It's finally fall, so I'm praying for cooler weather.
• It's Pumpkin, pumpkin pumpkin time! 

Red, Green and White Bridal Shower

A few girls and I threw a little bridal shower for my BFF a few weeks ago. She's getting married in less than 2 months!

Some details from the event:
Venue: Zinc Cafe in Downtown, LA
Flowers: Flower District
Cake: Merely Sweets
Invitations and Menu/Advice Cards: Grace Kim
Picture frames: IKEA
Monogrammed Mugs: Anthropologie
Mini Canvas and easels: Amazon and Hobby Lobby

I've recently discovered eucalyptus trees and I absolutely love them. There are so many different types of eucalyptus trees, but I especially like the "silver dollar". The leaves are great as fillers and for decorating. They don't cost much at all either. I bought some specifically to use as a banner for our cake display. These banners are super easy to make and it adds a nice touch of color to the wall. I chose most of the color palate based on the colors of the venue. I loved that the venue had wood tables because the dark red roses and green leaves went perfectly with them (Esther happened to match the color scheme). Zinc Cafe is a great place to hold events for 20-25 people (its vegan). You get a private room and the food is yummy too. In terms of games/activities, we didn't really have too many. I wanted to keep it simple so we just had one activity. Both the bride-to-be and her fiance are artists so I incorporated that into the shower. We had guests draw on canvas' and had Esther choose her favorite. The canvas drawings turned out great!